Around 6:20 this evening I spotted a large, bulky loon with a yellow
bill in Andrew's Bay (Seward Park). I was able to stop for perhaps two
minutes before traffic made it imperative I move on.

The light was very good. Distance a third of the way across the bay.
I'm not good at estimating distances, but I was able to see the major
markings. My first thought on seeing the bird was "loon". Overall, it
appeared bulky, with a dark back, wings, crown, neck. The throat,
breast and sides were pale. Bill was heavy and yellow. The bird was
near a pair of Double-crested cormorants. The cormorants were of
similar size, but floated higher in the water and had longer necks.

I drove home and checked in Audubon Master Birder Vol I for a "big
bulky loon with a yellow bill", since I'd never seen one before. THe
only bird close is a Yellow-billed loon, which is impossibly rare here.
I looked in Sibley, same thing. Kaufman, same thing.

Grabbed binocs and went back, but the bird had moved closer to the
eastern shore of the bay, so the binocs were of little advantage. I was
able to see about what I'd seen before.

I'm one of the most conservative birders around. Normally a range map
is all it takes for me to start looking at any other possibility. Might
someone else take a look and let me know if there's truly something
special in the bay?

Andrew's Bay is the little bay formed by Seward Park's Bailey
Peninsula. It is bounded on the west side by Lake Washington Blvd.; on
the east by the Seward Park loop road. The bird was present in the
southern part of the bay, in line with the place where the swimming
docks are stored.

Thanks,
Catherine Alexander
Lakewood Neighborhood
South Seattle